As Maharashtra reels under power cuts, its Energy minister switches on 10 ACs at home

They talk of moderate consumption to tide over the severe power crisis in Maharashtra. But when it comes to walking that talk, the state&#14...

They talk of moderate consumption to tide over the severe power crisis in Maharashtra. But when it comes to walking that talk, the state’s ministers seem to have fallen short by miles—government records show that the Energy Minister and Rural Development Minister have run up electricity bills of around Rs 30,000 each.

All paid by the Public Works Department, from the taxpayer’s pocket.

The official bungalows of Energy Minister Dilip Walse-Patil has 10 ACs and that of Rural Development Minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil at least nine.

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And this when their home constituencies—Walse-Patil’s Ambegaon near Pune and Mohite-Patil’s Aklooj down south—are reeling under nine-hour power cuts.

The Energy Minister’s power bills, records show, were Rs 28,789 in January, Rs 27,551 in February and Rs 29,201 in March. And the Rural Development Minister ran up bills of Rs 34,808 in January, Rs 30,870 in February and Rs 31,265 in March.

When contacted by The Indian Express, Walse-Patil said since the bills go directly to the PWD, he does not know the expenditure incurred.

‘‘Just because ACs are installed in the bungalow doesn’t mean they are on 24 hours a day. I have told my people to use one AC where there are two, and two fans where there are four,’’ he said.

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Asked about his monthly power bills, the Energy Minister said, ‘‘I don’t see it, the bill goes directly to the PWD which pays it. These are official bungalows, we are only here because we are in power.’’

The story at Mohite-Patil’s bungalow is hardly different.

While Maharashtra’s farmers have started irrigating their fields after dusk due to extended day cuts, the cooperative baron from western Maharashtra resides in a Malabar Hill bungalow surrounded by a range of high-end ACs.

The Indian Express counted at least four, including two four-feet high slimline models, before his staff intervened.

An official of the PWD—the department, besides paying the power bills, installs and maintains these ACs—said there were nine at Mohite-Patil’s bungalow (the figure was not challenged by the minister).

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Admitting that his home constituency Aklooj ‘‘has a nine-hour power cut every day,’’ Mohite-Patil told The Indian Express that ‘‘ACs are installed in the bungalow but we don’t use them so much, I’m hardly there.’’

On his power bill, the Minister said: ‘‘I don’t pay. The government takes care of all that for ministers.’’

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